West Indies v India - Third Test

Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana

West Indies: CG Greenidge, LG Rowe, GA Headley, IVA Richards, FMM Worrell, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, J Garner, CEL Ambrose.
India: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, DB Vengsarkar, VL Manjrekar, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, EAS Prasanna, BKV Prasad, BS Chandrasekhar.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: Mahboob Shah (PAK) & DJ Constant (ENG)
Toss: West Indies

Following their dramatic escape in Trinidad, the tourists would have no doubt been bracing themselves for a West Indian backlash in Guyana, and so it was to prove as the hosts piled on the runs over the course of the first two days. Sobers won an important toss given the benign nature of the pitch at the Bourda, and George Headley led the rout as West Indies piled up a daunting total of 596, 428 of which came on a breathless first day.

George Headley was in imperious form during his mammoth 285

Greenidge got the ball rolling with a rollicking 96 and Richards blitzed 52 off just 35 balls, the second quickest fifty in ATG history, but it was Headley who was to prove chief executioner. He gave ne'er a chance, and by the time he was finally dismissed by Kapil Dev on the second afternoon he had taken his score to 285, the second highest individual innings in West Indian history. India stumbled their way to 147-4 in reply, but centuries from the inevitable Gavaskar and captain Pataudi, along with a confident fifty from Kapil Dev, enabled the tourists to pick their way to 343-5 by the close on day three, just 54 short of saving the follow-on.

However, the innings crumbled at the hands of Holding and Marshall on the fourth morning, and the last five wickets tumbled for just 14 runs as India's tail succumbed to an inspired spell of hostile pace bowling to leave the tourists 34 runs short of saving the follow-on at 363 all out. Sobers invited the Indians to bat again, and by lunch two further wickets had fallen to make it seven for the session as India looked like they could be ready to hoist the white flag. Gavaskar had other ideas though, and with Manjrekar his willing ally 178 runs were posted for the third wicket as India fought back. Manjrekar went for 95 in the day's last half hour but Gavaskar's defences remained unbreached, and on the final morning he brought up his second century of the match and his third in successive innings as India took the lead.

West Indies must be getting sick of the sight of Sunil Gavaskar

Wickets were falling at the other end though, and the fate of the game had now come down to a delicate equation of runs versus time. By tea India were 335-7, a lead of 102, and another hour's batting would surely be enough to save the game. Ambrose now delivered perhaps the most telling spell of his ATG career though, and in the space of half an hour the final three wickets fell for the addition of only 12 further runs, Ambrose finishing with career best figures of 6-50. Gavaskar had carried his bat for 149 and had batted for an incredible 18 hours over the course of both innings, but if West Indies could knock off 115 runs in the 30 overs that remained then his efforts would have been all for nought.

Greenidge and Rowe provided a solid base with a partnership of 65 off 17 overs, and with Greenidge continuing on to his second fifty of the match the result was never in doubt. The winning runs came with 16 balls and 7 wickets to spare, and India's resolve had finally been broken after two Tests of heroic defence. That said, the series is still only level at 1-1, and after three engrossing Tests we now look forward to the second half of what could go down as a truly classic series.

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 596 (Headley 285, Greenidge 96, Richards 52, Sobers 42; Prabhakar 4-114)
IND 1st Inns 363 (Pataudi 109, Gavaskar 105, Kapil Dev 61; Holding 4-82)
IND 2nd Inns 347 (Gavaskar 149*, Manjrekar 95; Ambrose 6-50)
WI 2nd Inns 116-3 (Greenidge 51*)

WEST INDIES WON BY 7 WICKETS

1st & 2nd innings scorecards (click to enlarge)

Close of play
Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 428-6 (Headley 183*, Marshall 9*; 99 ov)
Day 2 - India 1st innings 100-2 (Gavaskar 56*, Manjrekar 23*; 40 ov)
Day 3 - India 1st innings 343-5 (Pataudi 107*, Kapil Dev 54*; 118 ov)
Day 4 - India 2nd innings 227-4 (Gavaskar 93*, Pataudi 7*; 81 ov)
Day 5 - West Indies 2nd innings 116-3 (27.2 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Headley's 285 is the second highest individual innings in West Indies' history
▪ Gavaskar is the ninth player, and third Indian, to score two hundreds in a Test and the second player, after JG Wright, to score three consecutive Test hundreds
▪ Gavaskar is the second player, after JB Hobbs, to carry his bat through a completed innings
▪ Sobers passed 5000 career runs
▪ Headley passed 2000 career runs
▪ Gavaskar and Manjrekar's partnership of 178 is India's highest for the third wicket against West Indies
▪ Richards' fifty off 35 balls is the second fastest in ATG history
▪ Dujon became the first wicketkeeper to reach 200 victims when he caught Prabhakar in India's 2nd innings

Man of the Match: GA Headley

West Indies v India - Second Test

Queen's Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

West Indies: CG Greenidge, LG Rowe, GA Headley, IVA Richards, FMM Worrell, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, CEL Ambrose, CA Walsh.
India: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, VL Manjrekar, VS Hazare, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, EAS Prasanna, BKV Prasad, BS Chandrasekhar.

Debuts: LG Rowe (WI)
Umpires: RS Dunne (NZL) & BC Cooray (SL)
Toss: India

There were changes in both camps for the second Test; India dropped Ghavri in favour of Chandrasekhar, whilst West Indies went for extra pace, with Michael Holding coming in for Gibbs and Curtly Ambrose replacing the injured Garner. Lawrence Rowe would also make his debut in place of the under-performing Haynes.

Neither captain was happy with the surface prepared at the Queen's Park Oval, and it therefore came as no surprise when Pataudi inserted his opponents upon winning the toss. However, by the game's halfway stage it was West Indies that held the advantage, leading by 125 on first innings after India's bowlers failed to take advantage of the conditions. Rowe (43) and Headley (89) put on 101 for the second wicket, and after the innings slumped to 211-7 the eighth wicket pair of Dujon (98*) and Holding (52) contributed a national record 120 as West Indies totalled 362; four dropped catches didn't help the Indians cause either. In reply the tourists advanced to 176-3, but a torrid third afternoon saw the innings subside to 237 all out in the face of an unrelenting pace barrage, and as bravely as most of the Indians batted, Gavaskar's 85 was the only innings to make any significant impact in the runs department.

Headley batted superbly in both innings for West Indies

Greenidge went for a duck in the first over of West Indies' second innings, but Rowe and Headley put together their second hundred partnership of the match, and although Rowe again fell in the forties Headley, who had been dropped on 2, pressed on to complete a deserved century. India's attack simply lacked the necessary firepower to take advantage of the pitch conditions, and Viv Richards took full advantage as he ended his poor run by smashing a brutal, undefeated 124 out of a 203 partnership with Headley for the third wicket. Richards was also dropped, on 83, by Gavaskar in the slips, and when Sobers declared following Headley's dismissal midway through the fourth afternoon, West Indies led by 430 and India looked a tired and dispirited team.

Richards blasted his way back into form on the fourth day

Engineer, Manjrekar and Hazare all departed for single figures as the tourists slumped to 56-3 in their final innings, and although Gavaskar and Umrigar managed to progress the score to 118-3 by stumps, West Indies were still the overwhelming favourites going into the final day. India's fourth wicket pair remained resolute though, batting through the whole morning to take the total to 180-3, and a tempestuous afternoon session ended with the tourists still in with a chance of pulling off the greatest of escapes. Rowe spilled a simple chance to give Umrigar a life on 70, and on 99 Gavaskar survived a hugely confident shout for caught behind off the bowling of Marshall, a decision that allowed him to complete a wonderful hundred in the very next over. Umrigar also reached three figures before finally edging Marshall behind for 102, but his partnership with Gavaskar had spanned almost five and a half hours and had eaten up 72 overs in adding exactly 200 runs.

Umrigar's eighth Test hundred was also one of his finest

India took tea on 264-4 and now needed to survive for just another 35 overs, but Pataudi soon went for 9 and then Walsh claimed the crucial wicket of Gavaskar, caught by Rowe for 149, to leave the Indians on 294-6 with 22 overs remaining. Gavaskar had defied his opponents for more than eight hours, but his efforts now looked like they could all be in vain as West Indies closed in for the kill. Kapil Dev, Prabhakar and Prasanna all clung on gamely, but when the ninth wicket fell on 347 West Indies had sixteen deliveries left to complete the victory. Prasad and Chandrasekhar dug in, but with five balls remaining Ambrose seemed to have trapped Chandra plumb in front. Umpire Cooray remained unmoved though, and after playing and missing at the next three deliveries Chandra got bat on the final ball to secure the draw for India and hero status for himself. It was a suitably dramatic end to what had been one of the greatest of all Test matches, and India's lead in the series remains intact as the teams head to Guyana for the third match of what is proving to be a highly unpredictable series.

Just like a wall, they couldn't out Gavaskar at all...

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 362 (Dujon 98*, Headley 89, Holding 52, Rowe 43)
IND 1st Inns 237 (Gavaskar 85)
WI 2nd Inns 305-3 dec. (Richards 124*, Headley 123, Rowe 49)
IND 2nd Inns 352-9 (Gavaskar 149, Umrigar 102)

MATCH DRAWN

1st & 2nd innings scorecards (click to enlarge)

Close of play
Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 296-7 (Dujon 65*, Holding 37*; 88 ov)
Day 2 - India 1st innings 156-3 (Gavaskar 77*, Umrigar 5*; 49 ov)
Day 3 - West Indies 2nd innings 102-1 (Headley 50*, Rowe 49*; 30 ov)
Day 4 - India 2nd innings 118-3 (Gavaskar 62*, Umrigar 32*; 35 ov)
Day 5 - India 2nd innings 352-9 (125 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Dujon and Holding's partnership of 120 is West Indies' highest for the eighth wicket
▪ India's 352-9 is their highest ever 4th innings total and the fourth highest overall

Man of the Match: SM Gavaskar

West Indies v India - Tour Match

Trinidad & Tobago XI v Indians
Guaracara Park, Point-a-Pierre
4 Day Game
Umpires: CE Cumberbatch & RG Gosein
Toss: Trinidad & Tobago XI

Trinidad & Tobago XI: CA Roach, MC Carew, CA Davis, HA Gomes, GE Gomez, *GC Grant, BD Julien, +D Williams, IR Bishop, D Ramnarine, AH Gray.
Indians: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, VL Manjrekar, VS Hazare, RJ Shastri, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, EAS Prasanna, BKV Prasad, BS Chandrasekhar.

India maintained the momentum they gathered in Jamaica by routing Trinidad & Tobago in little more than two days at Guaracara Park, recording a comprehensive innings victory despite totalling only 274 themselves. Jackie Grant's Trinidad team emulated its national counterpart by batting very poorly in both innings on a pitch that could not be held to blame, and all the tourists' bowlers prospered as a result.

Kapil Dev bowled well in both innings as the
tourists recorded a comprehensive victory

The Trinidadians were bundled out for just 130 on the first day after Grant had won the toss and chosen to bat, Kapil Dev and Prasad picking up three wickets apiece as only a quickfire 40 from Gerry Gomez inconvenienced the visitors to any extent. India trailed by just fifteen by the time stumps were drawn, Gavaskar having made his way to a composed fifty, and a lead had been established when Tony Gray found Gavaskar's outside edge to dismiss him for 72 early on the second morning. Shastri, who had joined the squad as injury cover, and Pataudi followed soon after to leave the tourists rocking somewhat on 163-5, but Hazare's 66 coupled with a pair of bright cameos from Kapil Dev and Prabhakar helped take the total to 274 by the time the innings closed shortly before tea.

Gavaskar's 72 was the highest score
of a match where ball dominated bat

The tourists led by 144, and this was to prove enough as Trinidad & Tobago's second innings fell apart in even more spectacular fashion than its first. Openers Roach (53) and Carew (13) were the only batsmen to reach double figures, and after just forty minutes play on the third morning it was all over, with the hosts scraping together a total of just 110 to hand the Indians victory by an innings with over five sessions to spare, Kapil Dev the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-18. Attention now turns to the Test in Port-of-Spain, and Pataudi's team will be full of confidence after such a positive start to the tour.

Score Summary
T & T XI 1st Inns 130 (Gomez 40)
IND 1st Inns 274 (Gavaskar 72, Hazare 66)
T & T XI 2nd Inns 110 (Roach 53; Kapil Dev 4-18)

INDIANS WON BY AN INNINGS & 34 RUNS

1st & 2nd innings scorecards (click to enlarge)

Close of Play

Day 1 - Indians 1st innings 115-2 (Gavaskar 59*, Hazare 11*; 34 ov)
Day 2 - Trinidad & Tobago XI 2nd innings 92-6 (Julien 0*, Williams 0*; 34 ov)
Day 3 - Trinidad & Tobago XI 2nd innings 110 (42.5 ov) - end of match

West Indies v India - First Test

Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

West Indies: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, IVA Richards, FMM Worrell, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, J Garner, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh.
India: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, VL Manjrekar, VS Hazare, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, KD Ghavri, EAS Prasanna, BKV Prasad.

Debuts: BKV Prasad (IND)
Umpires: RS Dunne (NZL) & BC Cooray (SL)
Toss: West Indies

India's dressing room looked more like a casualty ward in the build up to the first Test with Vengsarkar, Chandrasekhar, Bedi and Srinath all unavailable for selection, and it was a triumph of sorts for the tourists just to get eleven players on the field. However, India's seamers soon provided some respite as the ball swung on a rain-hit first morning, and after West Indies had won the toss and elected to bat on a flat, unblemished surface they soon found themselves reeling at 60-4 with both Headley and Richards departing for inglorious ducks. Worrell and Dujon fought back gamely with a brace of fifties, but Prasanna's marathon spell enabled Pataudi to maintain control, and with Dujon ninth out for a fighting 92 on his home ground a final total of 269 was a poor return given the batting surface.

Dujon's 92 helped save West Indies from
complete humiliation on the first day

Gavaskar and Engineer then put on 65 for India's first wicket, but with the spin of Sobers and Gibbs playing an unexpectedly prominent role, the tourists slumped to 92-4 by tea on day two. Manjrekar and Pataudi countered the threat by sweeping on sight, and the pair extended their gutsy partnership to 159 before Manjrekar was out hooking at Garner on the third morning just seven short of his century. Pataudi, playing a crucial innings for both himself and the team, managed to grind on to his third ATG hundred - the other two also came against West Indies - and when he finally edged Walsh behind for 126, Kapil Dev took over.

Kapil accumulated a sedate fifty off 107 balls, but following Pataudi's dismissal at 339-6 he scored at a run a ball as the tail all hung around for long enough to allow him to raise a wonderful hundred. West Indies did not field well - Pataudi was dropped on 63 and Dujon missed three possible stumping chances - and with the umpires most certainly favouring the batsmen Sobers led a disgruntled and frustrated team off the pitch when Kapil Dev was last man out for 123 early on the fourth morning. India's total of 456 had given them a lead of 183, but on a wicket that was still playing evenly, the hosts would have been looking to improve on their poor first innings performance with the hope of perhaps being able to put some pressure on the Indian batsmen on the final day.

Contrasting centuries from Pataudi and Kapil Dev
gave India a sizeable first innings advantage

However, West Indies were skittled for just 221 in what was quite frankly an embarrassing attempt at batting to save a Test match, and the Sabina Park faithful made their feelings increasingly clear as the day wore on. Fellow Jamaican George Headley played the only innings of substance, but with his score on 72 he became one of five victims for Prasanna when he clipped a simple catch to Hazare at midwicket, and whereas Manjrekar and Pataudi had played the spinners with aplomb in India's innings, the West Indian batsmen simply could not handle Prasanna. Haynes, Sobers and Dujon all perished to injudicious sweeps, and when last man Walsh holed out to Prasad - who had bowled very well on debut - India were left with a target of just 35 to complete a famous victory.

Gavaskar nearly took India home in the four overs that were possible on what was left of the fourth evening, but frustratingly everyone had to come back on the final morning in order for India to knock off the five remaining runs, everyone that is except the crowd, who stayed away en masse in protest at their team's shocking performance. India's nine wicket victory, one of the greatest shocks in ATG history, was consequently completed in front of empty stands, but Pataudi and his team did not care one jot. The batting frailties that were on show in New Zealand remain a huge problem for the West Indies, and despite their number one status they will now have to look very closely at themselves before the sides reconvene in Trinidad for what could be an explosive second Test.

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 269 (Dujon 92, Worrell 73; Prasanna 4-60)
IND 1st Inns 456 (Pataudi 126, Kapil Dev 123, Manjrekar 93)
WI 2nd Inns 221 (Headley 72; Prasanna 5-51)
IND 2nd Inns 35-1

INDIA WON BY 9 WICKETS

1st & 2nd innings scorecards (click to enlarge)

Close of play
Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 246-8 (Dujon 78*, Gibbs 0*; 79.4 ov)
Day 2 - India 1st innings 192-4 (Manjrekar 60*, Pataudi 57*; 76 ov)
Day 3 - India 1st innings 452-9 (Kapil Dev 122*, Prasad 4*; 160 ov)
Day 4 - India 2nd innings 30-1 (Engineer 6*, Manjrekar 0*; 4 ov)
Day 5 - India 2nd innings 35-1 (7.5 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Pataudi passed 1000 career runs
▪ Prasanna passed 100 career wickets
▪ Manjrekar and Pataudi's partnership of 159 is India's highest for the fifth wicket against West Indies
▪ Hazare made his 50th appearance for India

Man of the Match: EAS Prasanna

West Indies v India - Tour Match

Jamaica XI v Indians
Sabina Park, Kingston
4 Day Game
Umpires: D Sang Hue & EA Nicholls
Toss: Indians

Jamaica XI: AF Rae, JKC Holt, LG Rowe, EH Mattis, JC Adams, MLC Foster, +*FCM Alexander, NO Perry, FA Rose, R Gilchrist, BP Patterson.
Indians: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, DB Vengsarkar, VL Manjrekar, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, J Srinath, KD Ghavri, BS Bedi.

Batsmen prospered on a featherbed at Sabina Park, and the Indians will not mind in the slightest if the surface prepared for the Test here plays in the same fashion. Gavaskar and Engineer opened up with a partnership of 112 after Pataudi won the toss and elected to bat, and whilst Engineer fell short of his century Gavaskar was not to be denied, advancing to 122 and adding 159 for the second wicket with Vengsarkar, who also reached three figures before stumps on the first day.

Will Dilip Vengsarkar be able to
carry his form into the Test arena?

Maurice Foster's off breaks were given an unusually extended run as Gerry Alexander struggled to exert any control in the field, and with contributions right down the card India's total had swelled to 523-9 when Pataudi declared at tea on day two. India's bowlers had plenty of runs to play with, but the Jamaican innings followed the same script as that of the tourists, with Rae's wonderfully fluent 92 paving the way for a dominant stand of 165 for the fourth wicket between Lawrence Rowe and Everton Mattis. Rowe was caught in the covers off Kapil Dev for 87 but the unheralded Mattis went on to raise a deserved hundred, and with rain twice halting play on day three Jamaica batted on into the fourth and final day before eventually closing on 448 at lunch.

Rae batted as well as anyone in compiling his 92

Ghavri did his chances of Test selection no harm at all by picking up four wickets, but India's fielding was below par, with three catches going to ground over the course of the innings, and this is something that will need to be improved upon ahead of the Tests. India chose to bat out the remainder of the day, Umrigar's undefeated 68 the highlight as they progressed to an inconsequential 180-4, and the tourists' batting looks in good shape ahead of the first Test.

Score Summary
IND 1st Inns 523-9 dec. (Vengsarkar 128, Gavaskar 122, Engineer 74, Manjrekar 40)
JAM XI 1st Inns 448 (Mattis 105, Rae 92, Rowe 87, Adams 48; Ghavri 4-73)
IND 2nd Inns 180-4 (Umrigar 68*)

MATCH DRAWN

1st & 2nd innings scorecards (click to enlarge)

Close of Play

Day 1 - Indians 1st innings 354-2 (Vengsarkar 128*, Manjrekar 24*; 90 ov)
Day 2 - Jamaica 1st innings 93-1 (Rae 55*, Perry 0*; 25 ov)
Day 3 - Jamaica 1st innings 387-5 (Adams 34*, Foster 8*; 107 ov)
Day 4 - Indians 2nd innings 180-4 (51 ov) - end of match

West Indies v India - Series Preview

The three previous clashes between West Indies and India have all been close affairs, West Indies emerging victorious by a 2-1 margin on each occasion, but India would do well to repeat such a scoreline this time around, given the form that has carried West Indies to seven consecutive series victories coupled with the expected recall of the likes of Richards, Marshall and Holding after they were rested for the tour of New Zealand. West Indies are understandably the hot favourites going into this series, but the consistent failure of the top of the batting order on the New Zealand trip does provide the Indians with perhaps the merest glimmer of hope.

The Indian squad contains just one new face in seam bowler Venkatesh Prasad, and Vijay Manjrekar has been entrusted with the number four position after his century on debut against Sri Lanka. Skipper Tiger Pataudi is under pressure following his recent run of failures with the bat, and he will be looking to rediscover the form when the sides last met in India when he topped the averages by some distance. The Indian squad contains three spinners in the shape of Chandrasekhar, Bedi and Prasanna, but with the selectors likely to pick two at most for the Tests the opening tour match in Jamaica should provide an insight into the tourists' plans.

Pataudi and Prasad, for different reasons, will
both be looking to prove a point on this tour

Current form (most recent result first)
West Indies WDWLW
India WLLDW

Previous series result
India 1 West Indies 2 (Season V; 3 Tests)

India Squad
MAK Pataudi (c), Kapil Dev (v/c), BS Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar, FM Engineer, SM Gavaskar, KD Ghavri, VS Hazare, SMH Kirmani, VL Manjrekar, M Prabhakar, BKV Prasad, EAS Prasanna, J Srinath, PR Umrigar, DB Vengsarkar.

Itinerary
- Tour Match v Jamaica
- 1st TEST (Jamaica)
- Tour Match v Trinidad and Tobago
- 2nd TEST (Trinidad)
- 3rd TEST (Guyana)
- Tour Match v Barbados
- 4th TEST (Barbados)
- 5th TEST (Antigua)

New Zealand v Sri Lanka - Series Summary

NEW ZEALAND WON THE SERIES 1-0
Being able to write 'New Zealand won' is a rare event in the ATG world, but it happened twice when Jack Cowie took the final wicket in Hamilton, with New Zealand's victory there - just their sixth in 55 Tests - sealing their first ever series success. The fact that the opponents were Sri Lanka and that the series consisted of just two Tests must be taken into consideration, but when you have fed on scraps for so long you don't turn down any morsel that comes your way.

John Reid's two centuries will ensure that he retains the captaincy for a little while longer, and the form shown by Chris Cairns would suggest that New Zealand are now able to field three allrounders worthy of the name. The third member of the trio, Richard Hadlee, took his seasonal wicket haul past the fifty mark in Hamilton, but with Stephen Boock remaining out of both form and favour the Kiwi selectors continue to struggle to find a spinner capable of supporting their seamers on a consistent basis, with Hedley Howarth claiming just three wickets in the two Tests.

Aravinda de Silva showed his class by saving the first Test with twin centuries, and his absence through injury severely compromised Sri Lanka's chances in the second game. Indeed, for such a short tour the visitors had to cope with a number of injuries, and the loss of Wickramasinghe for the Tests, whilst probably not affecting the final outcome, certainly weakened their bowling attack. De Silva apart, Chandika Hathurusingha, with fifties in both matches, was the only other Sri Lankan to enhance his reputation over the course of the series, and even though Australia are not expected to field a full strength XI for the upcoming one-off Test in Kandy, one would not bank on Sri Lanka to break their ATG duck any time soon.

Series Averages
(click to enlarge)

Players of the Series: JR Reid & PA de Silva

New Zealand v Sri Lanka - Second Test

Seddon Park, Hamilton

New Zealand: GM Turner, CS Dempster, BE Congdon, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, CL Cairns, RJ Hadlee, +IDS Smith, J Cowie, HJ Howarth.
Sri Lanka: RS Mahanama, UC Hathurusingha, AP Gurusinha, RL Dias, *A Ranatunga, HP Tillakaratne, DS de Silva, JR Ratnayeke, +HM Goonatilleke, RJ Ratnayake, ALF de Mel.

Debuts: HM Goonatilleke (SL)
Umpires: DR Shepherd (ENG) & D Sang Hue (WI)
Toss: New Zealand

Sri Lanka's injury crisis continued ahead of the second Test - Rumesh Ratnayake and Gurusinha returned but Dharmasena (shoulder) and, crucially, Aravinda de Silva (finger) were ruled out - and wicket keeper Mahes Goonatilleke made his debut after being hurriedly flown out to bolster the squad. John Reid won the toss for an unchanged New Zealand, and two days of hard toil later Goonatilleke must have been wishing he had stayed at home as the Kiwis surpassed the record total that they had posted in the previous game, although to his credit he only conceded one bye out of a mammoth total of 623.

All this came after the hosts had been reduced to 139-4 midway through the first afternoon, at which time Sri Lanka looked like they could really make inroads into the match. The pitch was not to blame though, and New Zealand's fifth wicket pair of Donnelly and Reid batted faultlessly in compiling a partnership of 230, a national record for any wicket. Both players made centuries, Donnelly extending his to a dominant 151, and Sri Lanka's attack looked wholly impotent as the runs flowed. The scoreboard read 369-5 when de Silva finally broke through by bowling Reid on the stroke of lunch on day two, and it had moved round to 475-8 when Jack Cowie joined Ian Smith at the crease shortly before tea. New Zealand's ninth wicket pair then proceeded to rub salt into what were already deep Sri Lankan wounds by equalling the ATG record with a partnership of 124 before Smith fell to the third new ball just seven short of a maiden hundred, and Cowie was able to raise his first ever fifty in partnership with last man Howarth as the Sri Lankans were brought to their metaphorical and, in some cases, literal knees.

Jack Cowie poses with his wonderbat!

Sri Lanka began their reply on the third morning, and as only could have been be expected they crumbled under the sheer weight of all those Kiwi runs. New Zealand bowled well, but the level of application and belief shown by the tourists was disappointing to say the least, with Gurusinha's dismissal typifying Sri Lanka's plight. He top-edged a catch off an ill-advised hook shot having made 59 when he should have been aiming for 159, and it was not until a gallant last wicket stand of 58 between Goonatilleke and de Mel that we saw anything like the type of attitude that was needed.

An all out total of 249 allowed John Reid to enforce the follow-on for the first time in New Zealand's history, and with a deficit of 374 it was the same story in Sri Lanka's second innings as the top order all got in only to get themselves out when set. Rain sent the match into a fifth day with Hashan Tillakaratne the last remaining hope for the tourists, and although he managed to complete his fifty, Hadlee and Cowie reduced the innings from 200-5 to 207-9 as the new ball cut a swathe through the tail on the final morning, Hadlee picking up his third five wicket haul of the Antipodean summer. The Blackcaps were made to wait until after lunch to claim the final wicket, but when Goonatilleke edged Cowie behind the party could finally begin, and although the opposition had only been Sri Lanka, New Zealand's first ever series victory in this, the sixth season of ATG cricket, was still a cause for celebration. Sri Lanka now head home for a one-off Test against Australia, whilst New Zealand will be able to look forward to next season, as they always seem to do, with a reserved air of optimism.

Hadlee's last five Tests have brought him
37 wickets and, finally, an elusive series victory

Score Summary
NZL 1st Inns 623 (Donnelly 151, Reid 114, Smith 93, Cowie 59, Congdon 42; Ratnayeke 4-136)
SL 1st Inns 249 (Gurusinha 59, Goonatilleke 42*)
SL 2nd Inns 217 (Tillakaratne 55, Hathurusingha 54; Hadlee 5-52, Cowie 4-61)

NEW ZEALAND WON BY AN INNINGS & 157 RUNS

1st & 2nd innings scorecards (click to enlarge)

Close of play
Day 1 - New Zealand 1st innings 319-4 (Donnelly 93*, Reid 86*; 95 ov)
Day 2 - New Zealand 1st innings 623 (171 ov)
Day 3 - Sri Lanka 1st innings 244-9 (Goonatilleke 42*, de Mel 18*; 90 ov)
Day 4 - Sri Lanka 2nd innings 171-5 (Tillakaratne 37*, de Silva 7*; 66 ov)
Day 5 - Sri Lanka 2nd innings 217 (98.4 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ New Zealand's series victory is the first in their history
▪ New Zealand's 623 is their highest ever total
▪ Donnelly & Reid's fifth wicket partnership of 230 is New Zealand's highest for any wicket
▪ Smith & Cowie's partnership of 124 equals the world record for the ninth wicket
▪ New Zealand enforced the follow-on for the first time in their history
▪ Goonatilleke and de Mel's partnership of 58 is a Sri Lankan record for the tenth wicket
▪ Crowe made his 50th appearance for New Zealand

Man of the Match: MP Donnelly

New Zealand v Sri Lanka - First Test

Carisbrook, Dunedin

New Zealand: GM Turner, CS Dempster, BE Congdon, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, CL Cairns, RJ Hadlee, +IDS Smith, J Cowie, HJ Howarth.
Sri Lanka: RS Mahanama, UC Hathurusingha, RL Dias, PA de Silva, *A Ranatunga, +HP Tillakaratne, DS de Silva, JR Ratnayeke, HDPK Dharmasena, ALF de Mel, CPH Ramanayake.

Debuts: CPH Ramanayake (SL)
Umpires: DR Shepherd (ENG) & D Sang Hue (WI)
Toss: New Zealand

Injury-hit Sri Lanka entered their first ever Test against New Zealand with only eleven fit players, and on a flat track New Zealand racked up the highest total in their history before John Reid declared at tea on the second day, leaving himself undefeated on 130 out of a mammoth 576-7. Turner had earlier contributed 107 as he and Dempster put on 170 for the first wicket, and Congdon was denied a century on recall when, on 99, he was caught at short leg off DS de Silva. Ranatunga was on the defensive in the field from an early stage, and whilst the boundaries may have been protected the runs kept coming. Congdon and Donnelly added 145 for the fourth wicket and then Reid and Cairns piled on 168, New Zealand's second best sixth wicket partnership, both players recording their highest ever scores in the process.

All that net practice paid off for John Reid

Sri Lanka fought back well in reply to New Zealand's huge total, Mahanama's typically flamboyant 75 getting them off to a fine start, and following his dismissal during a rain-shortened morning session Aravinda de Silva took over with stroke play that became ever more audacious as his innings progressed. He took just eight balls to move from 77 to 100 and then followed this up by lofting Hadlee for consecutive sixes as the tourists moved on to a relatively healthy 276-4 by tea on the third day. Reid took the new ball at this stage, and under the cloud cover that had hung around for most of the day, wickets started to fall. Chris Cairns bowled superbly to snare the best figures of his fledgling ATG career, but the last pair of de Mel and the debutant Ramanayake managed to cling on into the fourth day, and a tenth wicket stand of 32 saved the follow-on as Sri Lanka reached 382, their highest ever total.

New Zealand still had a lead of 194, and quick runs were now the order of the day if the Blackcaps were going to have enough time to bowl out the tourists for a second time on the final day. The Sri Lankans bowled well though, and only Crowe was truly able to dominate with an undefeated 71 as New Zealand made their way to a rather ponderous 209-6 before Reid declared with an hour's play remaining on the fourth evening. DS de Silva extracted three lbw decisions from Douglas Sang Hue, including Donnelly first ball, to hinder New Zealand's progress, and the Sri Lankans were presented with a target of 404 off a minimum of 103 overs to record their first ever ATG Test victory. Their attempt started disastrously when Mahanama and Dias were dispatched with just six runs on the board, but Hathurusingha and Aravinda de Silva rallied with a third wicket partnership of 142 and the chase was on.

Aravinda de Silva batted beautifully
for Sri Lanka in both innings

De Silva was not quite as fluent as in the first innings but he still managed to pick his way to his second century of the match, and although he was out shortly afterwards a tea time score of 241-4 meant that the tourists retained an outside chance of victory. Sri Lanka's tactics changed after the break though, and their switch to a defensive mindset actually played into New Zealand's hands as Reid was able to attack with the new ball. Cairns delivered a remarkable spell of 3-0 in twelve balls as five wickets tumbled for just sixteen runs, and with the haven of a draw in sight Sri Lanka now looked like falling at the final hurdle.

The last pair of de Mel and Ramanayake had done their team proud in the first innings, and with the scoreboard reading 286-9 they would now need to survive for 41 balls if the tourists were to escape with the draw. Ball beat bat on numerous occasions but for the second time in the match they held on, and when de Mel jammed his bat down on Reid's final delivery the Sri Lankans celebrated as if they had won the match. Once again New Zealand had let a possible victory slip through their fingers, and it will be a case of winner takes all when the teams meet in Hamilton for the second and final Test.

New Zealand were unable to force victory
despite the all round efforts of Chris Cairns

Score Summary
NZL 1st Inns 576-7 dec. (Reid 130*, Turner 107, Congdon 99, Dempster 88, Donnelly 82, Cairns 57)
SL 1st Inns 382 (PA de Silva 131, Mahanama 75; Cairns 4-84)
NZL 2nd Inns 209-6 dec. (Crowe 71*, Dempster 63)
SL 2nd Inns 296-9 (PA de Silva 105, Hathurusingha 72, Ranatunga 58)

MATCH DRAWN

1st & 2nd innings scorecards (click to enlarge)

Close of play
Day 1 - New Zealand 1st innings 330-3 (Congdon 59*, Donnelly 68*; 101 ov)
Day 2 - Sri Lanka 1st innings 99-1 (Mahanama 61*, Dias 7*; 29 ov)
Day 3 - Sri Lanka 1st innings 363-9 (de Mel 14*, Ramanayake 5*; 109 ov)
Day 4 - Sri Lanka 2nd innings 48-2 (Hathurusingha 20*, PA de Silva 22*; 15 ov)
Day 5 - Sri Lanka 2nd innings 296-9 (105 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Sri Lanka avoided defeat for the first time in six attempts
▪ New Zealand's 576-7 is their highest ever total
▪ Sri Lanka's 382 is their highest ever total
▪ Congdon passed 2000 career runs
▪ Aravinda de Silva is the eighth player, and the first Sri Lankan, to score two hundreds in a Test

Man of the Match: PA de Silva